A Cursed Liar: A Sasuke Uchiha Story
by MakoxNagone
Summary: "I, the child who wished to be good, was only a child who never knew that a good purpose for a child like me was impossible. Thus, this is the story of my realization out of innocence: the innocence I lost long ago but never really noticed."Shimizu/Uchiha
1. Prologue

Prologue

The All-seeing eyes.

God's eyes... in other words, Kamigan.

The one and only pride of the Shimizu Clan were its rare holders. Or at least that's how it used to be. It was supposed to be a blessing, especially for a _"tainted"_ mix breed _like me_, who was a result of dirtied Shimizu blood. I would have been treated like an outcast of the family, but I wasn't...

Because I was the only one left alive.

I never thought that something like this would be a burden. This so called "blessing given from the hands of God." At the first stage of its power, seeing life; the past, the present and the future were revealed through my eyes from deep within my soul. I always thought that I would be able to do something great with my power. I would be able to stop the bad things from happening and let only the good come to the world. I was a child who wished to be good and to have a good purpose. Unfortunately, what I saw wasn't always just good. Life wasn't the only thing I had the ability to see. With life came its inseparable partner- Death. Millions of deaths flashed before my very eyes as I watched... the lives of the people I encountered on my journey. Every single death was like a reminder of the clan massacre. It felt like a flashback in my mind that just kept repeating itself in an endless cycle. Every now and then, I would see a future killing spree, but it was already too hopeless for me to do anything to stop it.

After all, _what could a mere child of 6 do?_

For me, there was only one answer to that question. There was no doubt in my mind that I knew what I wanted to be. And to achieve that goal, I needed to survive. I needed to train myself to catch my own food, find clean water, or build an adequate makeshift shelter. And most of all, I needed to train with others.

To become the best, I had to travel long distances to meet and train with the strongest people.

But with my ability, such statements were all false. What I said before was a _lie_.

It didn't take me long at all to meet the people I needed to meet. After only two years of searching and fighting with street shinobi, as I looked for anyone who was willing to teach me, and failed at everything I tried to do, I found them.

Or rather, they found me.

The Akatsuki, that is.

In my five years with them, I learned that the Akatsuki was a strange cluster of people. Everyone came from a different background and each person had their own unique story to tell. But the person who interested me the most was one of my own blood.

_My father's blood._

An Uchiha- Itachi Uchiha.

He was known as the murderer of his clan, and a traitor to anywhere he called home. He killed everyone, even his parents... But he spared the life of his brother...

His story was definitely the most moving out of all the others. This man had been hiding too much underneath his emotionless mask for so long. Not even his closest colleagues knew of it.

No one else did [on a personal level, I mean.]

No one else but me.

This was the first reason to our sibling bond when I first joined. The others were our similarities and pain. We got closer through the Uchiha bond that we shared, the blood, sweat, and tears that he shed [also kept a secret], and the secrets that we swore never to speak of to anyone else. But most of all, it was because of our bloodline limit.

Our sharingan.

With his help, I became a master of all three basic shinobi arts: Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, and Taijutsu. And with the help of everyone else, I learned how to master the rest. It took me 5 years of non-stop intense pain and labor to achieve such power. But I could tell from my future that it was all going to pay off. With my power, I would be able to find my clan's murderer... And free myself from the cage of restraint that told me that everything and anything I did to stop the dark future was hopeless.

Five years was all it took.

Five years for Miharu Shimizu to finally shine. Then after five years, I said my goodbyes and went off into the world once again.


	2. Chapter 1: Promised Goodbyes

Chapter 1: The Promise of Goodbye

It was that time.

The time that I'd seen in the past.

The reason why I had so suddenly left the Akatsuki.

I had to fulfill my promise.

I had to meet my old friends and then say my goodbyes.

That's why I was running, practically throwing myself forward. I had to get to the Land of the Waves. I felt my long black, wildly layered hair flying all around me as I began leaping from tree to tree. My weapon pouches, placed on my right thigh and on the red belt that I used, moved up and down, causing the sharp tips of my kunai and shuriken to scratch and jab at my skin. The only thing I could hear was the sound of the wind, making my dark clothing fly just as wildly as my hair did as it was swept up by it.

I was running east; the environment was quite different from the Land of Rivers, so I must have been in the Land of Fire. I frowned a little bit as I remembered Itachi and the promise that I so stupidly made with him.

_Why do I even dare to make such promises? _I thought as I continued on.

I shook off my stray thoughts and focused on where I was going. I didn't know when it was going to happen- this event that I had been waiting for since was but the age of 6, when I had met my first companions then left to travel again. I didn't know... but I had to be there.

This was the downside to the Kamigan; there was no actual date set for everything seen. The future was never set on stone, but some things were bound to happen regardless of whether I interfered or not. I had a feeling that I could stop this from happening- that this was not at all set in stone. The only problem was that; I didn't know when it would happen... because in it's power, the Kamigan only gave away hints- in this case two- but in fact only two _**very **__**very **_subtle hints. Hints that could only be seen if one were to pay extremely close attention. One, was the poor weather- weather that could only belong and was only able to occur in the Land of Waves... And two, the extremely long structure of a bridge in the vision.

In this case, only one who has had a lot of experience in travel would have ever known that the setting was, in fact the Land of Waves. But how was one supposed to know the time for such an event. That answer came with the second clue; The Land of Waves never had any big bridges such as that which was seen in the vision.

That was the major clue... and so when I heard from Kisame about a bridge being built to link the Land of Waves to the Land of Fire, I knew that it was the time to take my leave. If only I reached the third stage to my power, then I'd be able to get there much faster. If only I had wings. Then I could fly to their side...

Before I knew it, I found myself running in the dark. Even though I was tired, I was determined to reach the Land of Waves. They- _**They**__- _were waiting for me; I was sure. I took some soldier pills and swallowed them. Almost instantly, I felt rejuvenated once again, and so I continued running. By dawn, I reached something interesting. The smell of poison in the air- [I had a good nose for smelling poisons ever since I met Sasori] and a familiar poison, too- attracted me to the spot, and I almost smiled when I saw two people tied to a tree by their own chains.

The Demon Brothers; Gozu and Meizu.

I was tempted to leave them there, but I just couldn't. Walking out into the clearing and in front of their tree, I smiled as their eyes caught mine.

"I swear... you guys need to practice handling your chains more," I mocked, crossing my arms.

"M-miharu Shimizu?" What are you doing here?" Gozu asked, a bit of fear escaping his shinobi facade.

"W-we thought you were with the Akatsuki," Meizu followed.

I smiled as I saw the both of them, trembling. It was nice to know that they still recognized me, even after seven years. But then again, who could forget such a person as me, who possessed such unique and extremely distinguishable eyes.

Red on the right and blue on the Left [my left and right of course.]

I walked closer to them, leaning down a bit so that we were face-to-face.

"I see you two have been underestimating little kids again. Didn't I tell you never to do that?" I said.

"I-it wasn't because of the brats... it was because of that dreaded sensei of theirs... It was the Copy Cat Ninja of all people!" Gozu almost yelled out.

My eyes widened as I remembered the name.

Kakashi Hatake, the wielder of the Sharingan eye.

I grabbed Gozu's shirt and forced his upper body against the tight hold of the steel chains. He winced at the two forced fighting upon his chest.

"How long ago were they here?" I asked, suddenly serious.

I could hear Gozu making a slight choking noise so I let him go. He took a deep gasping breath, heavily panting afterwards.

"They left about a day ago. They had the bridge builder with them. They were headed east, towards the Land of Waves," Meizu answered for his brother.

I nodded and freed them, walking away with no intention of saying goodbye.

"So, _Shi no Tenshi_," Meizu asked, "Where are you heading?"

I turned back to face them only for a second.

"To my first master, of course," I replied. "_**Let's hope **__**never **__**to meet again**_."

Shi no Tenshi was what they called me in that silly little "Bingo book" of theirs. Although I never truly killed 1000 people, that's the reason I was put into that stupid book. But I guess that was partially my fault as well. My visions always brought me to see death wherever I went... And when I first reached the second stage of my power, even more death came. I had no control over the Kamigan's new and sudden killing power. Just my voice, when that power was activated, could set off the invisible death bomb, spreading it within a 2 kilometer radius. In truth, only 300 people or so of the supposed death toll was my doing, and it was mostly because of that first release of my kekkei genkai's second stage form, since I had no idea how to control it. All it took was that one word and everyone around me would fall under the power of that spell.

I was an S-ranked criminal, even though I belonged to no village. It was a sad and lonely life. It was a good thing that I was always wearing my mask when such happened. Itachi had given me his old ANBU Black Ops mask, so I always wore it when I went out on missions. I guess that's why my picture turned out the way it did. I was faceless with only a cat ANBU Mask marked as my identity. That was satisfying.

The knowledge that my true identity was still unknown. It meant that I could live my life openly, without having the shadow of the "Angel of Death" looming over me. The angel that brought death- someone who should _never_ meet twice... that is if you escaped her the first time. I was safe from the looks of death that people would usually give to criminals, or spending time in jail among other things. And most of all, I would be safe from becoming the outcast that I was destined to be, by birth. Knowing that was enough.

I began traveling in the direction I was headed to- East- only, I began to pace myself, knowing that I still had time. The bridge was not yet complete. The bridge builder wasn't at the Land of Waves to finish the bridge yet. I would have at least a few more days to travel. An hour or so into the trip, I reached water. I thought of simply running over it, but I felt that my strength as well as my chakra supply were slowly depleting.

I looked around the shore for any signs of transportation. About 40 meters away was a small hut with a dock and a small row boat. I almost ran for the door.

An old man answered the door and when our eyes met, he became a bit afraid. I could see his hand trembling by the door knob as he was deciding whether to shut the door on my face or not.

"What do you want, girl?" he said, trying to scare me away with a stingy attitude.

I simply smiled with that given hint of a devilish charm and took out a bag full of money.

"I'd like a ride to the Land of Waves," I said, handing him half of my stash.

I watched as his eyes widened at the amount of money in his hands. He nodded slowly and went back inside to get his things. I walked myself to the boat and simply waited for him to follow. A few minutes later, he arrived, wearing a hat and a white piece of cloth around his neck. He got in and I followed; then we made our way across the water and to the Land of Waves. Not long afterward, I found myself drifting off into sleep...

"Miss," the old man said, prodding my arm softly.

I groaned a little and opened my eyes.

"We're close to shore." he said, as I looked around.

The air was thick and small traces of fog floated above the water. I nodded and began fixing myself. I touched the katana which was strapped to my back and sighed. I didn't need it yet.

"Can I ask you something about your business, Jii-chan?" I said with such familiarity.

"Sure."

"... Did you happen to escort a masked man, his genin and a bridge builder here, oh, about yesterday?" I asked nonchalantly, looking out to the town, though I did sneak a glance his way as I asked him about the bridge builder.

"Why, yes I did." he said, still quite oblivious.

We, then reached the dock. I stood up and used my chakra to walk over the water and up the wooden post.

"Which way did they say they were going?"

Suddenly the old man became wary and suspicious of me. He looked at my kunoichi attire, and I saw his eyes widen a bit.

"I don't know," he replied a little too quickly, though his eyes flashed toward the South East.

I smiled and bowed in thanks.

"Thank you for the trip," I said before walking in the direction that his eyes told me to go.

Sensing that I wasn't too far away, I changed my pace to walking as I followed the small trail. I came upon a small clearing by a large bed of water and immediately sensed something. There were large gashes on the trees as well as small scratches- marks that could only be distinguished as the marks of kunai, shuriken and an incredibly large swinging sword. Not to far from the tree, I saw a patch of reddish, russet brown, on the grass; it was only about ten meters from where I stood. I walked up to it and then crouched down to touch it.

_Blood_.

Using my kamigan, I put my hand on the small dried patch of blood. I felt my mind being sucked into the patch of blood as the vision began to flood through to every crevice in my brain, leaving me blind from the outside world for but a few seconds.

There was a flash of light and I suddenly found myself standing over Zabuza's "dead body." I crouched down to touch his neck but something else beat me to it. I looked at it closely.

Ice senbon.

I looked up, seeing a masked mist ANBU.

I didn't need to see anything but the ice senbon that was strategically thrown on the "Demon of the Hidden Mist's" neck.

I immediately recognized him.

Haku.

I stood up as he jumped down from his spot on the tree. Kakashi Hatake questioned him and he said that he was a hunter-nin sent to dispose of the body. Just as he was about to make his escape, a blonde haired boy angrily yelled at him. I almost laughed at the boy's naivety. Of course, life isn't fair. More people are just going to be more talented by birth; others won't be as significant. In life, it's a given.

Suddenly, I felt something wet on my face. I snapped out of my kekkei genkai's given trance and stood, looking up at the sky.

Bad news.

_Rain_.


	3. Chapter 2: My Love and Master

Chapter 2: My Love and Master

I searched for the two missing-nin everyday for the past 6 days, but I found nothing. It was as if they disappeared from the island completely. But then again, I wasn't exactly looking in the perfect places. It would be nearly impossible to spot a missing-nin, especially one like Zabuza, walking down the street like a normal person would. That would only be stupid. Of course, they wouldn't be in the poor towns! The woods would be a more reasonable place to search.

When sunrise came to the Land of Waves on the sixth day, I dressed myself into a dark pink kimono, decorated with white spots and a red obi. I kept a bag at my right side and braided my hair so that I would seem a little bit less intimidating... less wild looking than usual. I had failed to find the troublesome duo for the past days and nights, which left me almost completely sleepless. I felt like I was slowly falling victim to the sleepless nights of insomnia. I walked out of my small makeshift cave shelter and shut my eyes to listen to the wind. I activated my Kamigan once again, to determine which way I should go to even come close to finding something. The Land of Waves was a desolate and empty place.

There was a flash of light and a clearing, which was full of medicinal herbs appeared in my mind. Before I could see the rest of my vision, I deactivated my kekkei genkai and mentally slapped myself in the face.

_Of course he'd be there_, I thought, _Someone's got to take care of a healing Zabuza-sama._

I took in the scent of nature and smelt a trace of medicinal herbs to the west of where I stood. [I'd also learned how to sniff out antidotes because of my experience with Sasori's poisons.] Running west the best I could in a kimono and a pair of tall 3 inch getas, I rushed my way towards our fated "meeting place." When the scent grew strong enough, I began to decrease my speed to a mere jog. Then I saw it.

The fluffy forest of green herbs. It probably covered at least 50 meters of the forest floor, starting from where I stood. It was amazing; it's scent, mixed with the sweet smell of morning dew, gave off the most pleasant aroma for the morning. I walked deeper into the small shrub forest, but there was a small chakra signature that suddenly made me aware, and told me that I wasn't alone. It was a weak one, and it wasn't being concealed which meant one of two things:

1.) This person or being was dead.

2.) This person was drained of most of their chakra supply and fainted from exhaustion.

I walked up closer to investigate [after picking a few herbs] and lightly laughed at what I found. It was the same boy from my vision a week ago, only he was asleep at that time. He had messy blond hair, which had small bits of leaves and strips of wild grasses in it. His sleeping form was so peaceful compared to his his outburst in the clearing with Haku. I sat down by the boy's side and put my face close to his, observing the feline features engraved into his cheeks. I put my hands on his neck gently while the other one rested on my lap. I slowly lifted my hands and brought them to his chest and stomach. Immediately, I could feel the demon chakra radiating off the invisible seal on his stomach. His past flashed before my eyes and I felt that were similar in so many ways.

Alone in the world, until the others like us came along. The kid with his team, and me with my misfit companions.

_If only we met in different circumstances,_ I thought.

I put my hands back to my lap just as his eyes began to open. My red and blue orbs met with his deep, liquid blue ones.

I smiled gently at him, making him blush from embarrassment and shock.

"Hello," I said, still smiling. "It's good you're up, I was just about to wake you."

"Uh... H-hi. I'm Naruto Uzumaki. Who- uhm... What are you- I mean- what is a girl like you doing out here?" he stammered.

I chuckled lightly.

"I'm waiting for someone." I said, "What about you? Why are you out here at this time?"

"I was training. Hehe, I'm a shinobi, you see." he replied proudly, pointing to his headband as he sat up.

I reached out to touch the steel plating with the engraved Konohagakure symbol. I often did the same thing with Itachi's. It was missing the large line across the steel plate, which was the sign of treason, but it was still the same to me. Because that was the only thing I strived for. The only thing I wanted.

To be the best.

To be the protector.

To be a _kunoichi._

"What a wonderful dream you have there," I said, feeling the steel against my skin, "Becoming the Hokage, ey."

By this time, I had already learned how to read people without activating my kamigan, with only physical or eye contact. The boy looked at me with wide eyes. I took my hand back and put it to my lap .

"H-how did you know?" he asked, baffled.

"I have.. abilities."

"Like what?"

I smiled but shook my head.

"Now's not the time. Haku is here." I said, just as Haku walked into the clearing while wearing a pink work kimono with a basket in his hands. When Haku found the two of us in the meadow, I saw anger flash before his eyes when looking at the Uzumaki Kitsune, but he hid it almost immediately. Then he glanced at me, his eyes widening for a bit before he let out a somber smile.

"Hello, Miharu." Haku spoke soothingly.

"I brought a few ointments and picked a few herbs, Haku."

From beside me, Naruto kept switching his glances from me to Haku, as if he was comparing us to each other.

I stood up and walked towards Haku after patting Naruto's head goodbye. It was Haku's turn to speak to the boy. I slipped the herbs into his basket and smiled at him.

"I'll wait for you outside the forest entrance... okay?" I said, smiling.

"Wait," Naruto asked before I left, "Are you two related or something?"

Both of us chuckled at his remark. I suppose I did look a bit like Haku once my wild hair had been tamed and nicely pulled into two braids.

"No, Naruto. Just friends." I said before waving off.

As they began their own conversation, I walked out of the forest slowly, just enjoying the wild life around me. Five minutes later and the forested area began to see me its exit. However, as I left the forest, someone else decided to join in on the fun. It was a boy with hair as dark as a raven's and dark grey eyes devoid of any signs of emotion except the burning flame of hate that raged within him. He wore a plain navy blue wide collared shirt, something that differed greatly in contrast to the Kitsune's orange jumpsuit.

He quickly passed me and entered the woods and I greeted him with a kind smile. Of course, like I thought he would, he ignored me and walked on. I felt that didn't see me as much of a threat although he should have known better. However, as Haku came to pass him, he took a few steps before turning back to look at us. Why was it that he did that? I don't know. Maybe he could just sense my purpose. I didn't mean any harm. Yet.

When Haku caught up to me, we both began to walk on, away from the forest of herbs. I took his hand and looked down at it as it intertwined with mine.

"He's going to be strong Miharu. He's got so many precious people to protect, that silly kid." Haku said looking at me.

"I know," I replied, letting out the slightest smile, "And did you notice his eyes, Haku? So similar to ours..."

He nodded as we left to go to Zabuza's hideout.

"If only the circumstances were different." I added.

Haku's grip tightened on my hand.

"Yes," he said, "But... It's time, isn't it? Master Zabuza has been waiting."

And then there he was. My old master. He looked strong even when he was laying down on the bed, asleep. I walked up to his relaxing body until I completely stood over him. I just couldn't see how such an almighty being could be taken down so easily. I had seen him fight before. He was definitely someone worthy of his name.

I looked at Haku, who nodded at me. Lifting my hand up to my forehead, I rubbed my temples as I activated the horrible second stage of my kamigan.

"Heal," my voice commanded.

It was called Kami no Koe; _the voice of God._

When activated, it could be both deadly and life-saving. My voice was the key- any word that I said would come true. My orders were inescapable; everyone must be obedient to the voice of God.

Immediately, I could sense the chakra rapidly smothering his body, rejuvenating his immune system tenfold and healing his wounds twenty times faster than usual. I brought my hands to his forehead to sense his temperature, when his had came and grasped my wrist tightly.

His eyes opened and I smiled to greet him.

"Hello Zabuza-sama." I said just as I felt my consciousness leave along with my power. "Good ni-"

The last thing I felt as I drifted off to sleep was a pair of hands catching me. Immediately, I knew that it was Haku. The reason I knew was because I knew him so well. We were so in sync that I could feel him when he was near. I trusted him with all of my being.

He was one of the only ones...

I jumped up, gasping. I always fainted right after I used that stupid curse, Kami no koe. The time that I was out lapsed from one hour to a couple of days... My eyes widened as I nearly jumped out of the bed that Haku had put me on. They were no longer there. I couldn't sense them close; they had already left.

Frantic, I hurriedly put on my getas and ran in the direction of my cave. There, I quickly charged into my old attire and gathered my weapons, rushing myself towards the bridge.

I wasn't ready to see them die after all.

I didn't really want to say goodbye yet.

There were so many things left to say. I didn't want them to leave me. I didn't want them to be gone. I didn't want them to be just a part of my memory.

I wanted to save them.

Not even close to the bridge, I could already sense the power. Not Haku's but the Kitsune's.

_Demon Chakra._

Then, there was a large explosion. That was it. I knew it just by the sound of shattering glass. The boy's demon had defeated Haku's strongest known technique. My heart began to explode as well, because unlike anyone else... I knew what he was thinking. Haku wasn't like anyone else. He was like me. The only reason he lived was because he had a purpose- to serve as Zabuza's tool as the strongest weapon; however, that was no longer the case, with the fox demon's power defeating him.

I knew exactly what what happening. I raced faster to the bridge. There was a sudden fog in the area which told me what was soon to happen. I activated my sharingan and ran past the bridge builder and the girl who guarded him. I could see Haku and the Uzumaki Kitsune standing about ten feet away from each other. Haku's mask was off, and the expression of shock was stamped on Naruto's face. For one second, Haku's eyes met mine apologetically, before he looked back at Naruto.

"I'm sorry, Naruto, but it seems thatI can't die by your hands at this moment." he said just before he disappeared.

"Haku!" I screamed once I knew what was going to happen.

When I heard the chirp-like sound of Kakashi's lightning jutsu aimed for Zabuza, I turned around and began running towards them, but my speed was no match to Haku's.

"No!" I screamed, startling everyone on the bridge.

Naruto and Kakashi Hatake finally took notice of me as I ran at top speed at the copy ninja. My sharingan eyes suddenly seemed to implode with a new type of energy... a new type of power; judging from my sudden strength and emotional instability, I had just obtained the Mangekyo Sharingan. The Copy Ninja's eyes widened as he saw me charging at him with my new Sharingan eyes glowing. He jumped out of my way and took Haku with him. Then he set Haku down on the ground. I pushed past the silver haired man and sloppily kneeled down by Haku's side.

He was still alive, but his consciousness was fading. I took his hands and held them to my chest. I kneeled down so that my face was right above his; my tears fell down his cheeks. I didn't know why I was crying so hard. I never cried that much my entire life. In fact, the last time I found myself in tears was when my clan was killed- when my parents died.

"M-Mi-Miha-ru." Haku said as he struggled to breathe. "P-Protect y-yourself, al-a-alright?"

"No-No-No-No-No. Ha-kun, don't leave me," I said as I deactivated the Sharingan and activated the Kami no Koe; my eyes glowed a deep purple and became empty looking, yet overflowing with tears.

"Ai-shi-te-ru, Mi-ha-ru." He whispered to me, smiling, even was his death was coming only seconds away. "Ja-ne."

Then he took a long breath and shut his eyes. That was our awaited goodbye.

That was it.

It was finished.

But I couldn't accept that. I clutched my chest as it began to burn as hard that it felt like I had been stabbed a hundred times by a blade that was twice Zabuza's sword size. It was a thousand times worse than any genjutsu. Even the Tsukiyome was no match to the kind of pain that I was bearing.

I let go of my chest and became wild and angry as I refused to let Haku's death permanently sink into my brain.

"Haku! You can't do this- You can't! Not to me! Wake up!" I shook him. "I said wake up!" I grabbed him by his collar and began trembling as loud sobs began to escape from my mouth. "Live, Damnit! I said live!"

I pressed my face into his chest, ignoring the blood wound as it oozed crimson liquid which was dirtying my right cheek. After a short minute of crying, I felt all of my rage build up from inside me.

I could no longer sob. I fell silent.

Then, leaving Haku with a farewell kiss on his cold yet still soft lips, I charged at the Copy Ninja with what was left of my depleting power.

"Y-You murderer!" I yelled. "Look what you've done! Y-you- that boy- he was only 15, you cruel monster!"

I kept yelling as tears ran down my face once more, and I went at Kakashi, giving him a punch-after-punch and a kick-after-kick attack.

"He was my precious person, you bastard!" W-why didn't you stop? Why couldn't you-"

All of a sudden, I was cut off by a tight grip around my body. It was warm and genuine but I still felt like my heart was crumbling into pieces. I felt myself merging pasts with the Copy Ninja.

"I'm sorry. I am. I know how you feel. I feel your pain. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." he said in my ear as I saw exactly what he meant by his words.

And just like that, all my hostility disappeared. The sobs returned and I started gasping for air as I felt that I could no longer use my lungs. I felt my legs give in as the Copy Ninja let go of me and I sat quietly, sobbing into my hands.

Why was I acting this way?

Why was it only at this moment?

Why not earlier?

Why not for the millions I've seen die in front of me?

Why?

The world suddenly fell silent as those thoughts replayed in my mind. I was lost in a sea of thought, regret, and depression. I was in that place where I had kept all of my darkest dreams and secrets. Where I had put all the pieces of my ineradicable past filled with the unsanitary stenches of death and hate. The place where I couldn't escape.

But somehow, in all of the chaos, I managed to pull myself back into consciousness. However, my face had gone blank. Tears no longer fell nor did my heart ache. I was hollow, like a broken puppet.

"Naruto? Are you alright?" a female's voice called out. "Where's Sasuke?"

It was the pink haired girl, who had been guarding the bridge builder. She was around my height if not shorter; her green eyes flashed with worry as she rushed to Naruto's side.

"Sa.. Sakura... I'm sorry." he said while his head hung low.

"N-No!" Sakura gasped. "W-Where is he?"

I watched as Naruto pointed towards the boy's direction while the girl and the bridge builder ran to his side. She was such a weak girl... but at that moment, I wasn't interested in her. Only one thought had popped into my head as I heard their conversation.

"Hey, Kyubi," I said, definitely not my normal self. "That boy... Sasuke... he's an Uchiha, right?"

Slowly, the boy nodded, shocked at my sudden change in persona. I stood up and walked towards the three strangers and ignored the girl's angry comments, blaming me for her "lover's" death. I didn't do anything to him nor was I involved. I didn't have to listen to her selfish rants.

And even if she said so, he wasn't dead. I could feel the Uchiha blood still flowing through his veins. His chakra was almost non-existent though. He was on the verge of death... but he still had a chance.

"Keep him alive," I said, whispering Itachi's words.

Standing at his side, across from the girl, I pointed to him and concentrated on the Kami no Koi that I had yet to deactivate.

"Sasuke Uchiha, I command you... live." I said, right before my power started deactivating on it's own.

My eyes grew blurry and once again, the cursed effects brought me closer and closer to unconsciousness. You see, there's always a price to using the curse that was bestowed upon me by the heavens, although I still think of it more as a curse than a blessing. The prolonged use of such powers was something that always came with a consequence. The difference between sleep and death was thin when it came to using the power. Just this once, I didn't know what was going to come.

As I let go of reality, the pain in my chest began to return.

So it's death, huh?


End file.
